Category Archives: dessert

lemon pie bars

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One of the awesome things about having a cooking/baking blog is that people start giving you things like fancy dishes and cookbooks as gifts.  My birthday happened to be a few weeks ago and I got both of plenty in spades which I’m super excited about.  One of the cookbooks I was given was by the people behind Back in the Day Bakery in Savannah, Georgia.

I’ve never been to Savannah, much less this bakery, but I know that southerners know good food and the cookbook received rave reviews so I added it to my amazon wishlist.  And boy, am I glad I did!

Last Sunday I was feeling a little l-a-z-y but wanted to bake a few things to share with you fine people so I looked for a simple recipe and this is it.  There are few ingredients and the steps involved were low maintenance, but the results?  Delicious.  People who aren’t normally into lemon-flavored baked goods even enjoyed these bars.

Lemon Pie Bars (from “Bake in the Day Bakery Cookbook” by Cheryl Day and Griffith Day)

For the crust:

  • 3 cups graham cracker crumbs (approximately 24 crackers)
  • 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

For the filling:

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • Two 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
  • 6 large egg yolks

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan and line with parchment, allowing the ends of the paper to hang over two opposite edges of the pan.

To make the crust: in a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar and blend with a fork until the crumbs are evenly moistened.  Press the graham cracker mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Use a piece of parchment to press on the crust with the palm of your hands to make sure it is completely level.

Bake the crust for about 8 minutes, until lightly golden.  Let cool completely before adding the filling.  Turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees F.

To make the filling: in a large bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks.  Pour the filling over the cooled crust.

Place the baking pan inside a larger baking pan and pour enough hot water into the larger pan to come halfway up the sides of the smaller pan.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the filling is puffed at the edges and no longer jiggles in the center when the pan is tapped.  Remove the pan from the water bath and set it on a rack to cool for 1 hour, then refrigerate until cold.

Cut into squares and serve chilled, with whipped cream.  The bars will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

gold medal dessert: rhubarb crunch

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Aren’t the Olympics inspiring? I’ve found myself transfixed over the past week and I rarely watch TV so that is really saying something. I was so happy to see the women’s gymnastics team take the gold last night and especially proud to see Jordyn Wieber shake off not qualifying for the all-around competition yet pull it together to lead her team to victory. Inspirational. She’s from a small-town near my small hometown so that somehow makes it more special, like she probably used to shop at the same mall I used to shop at. I’m just saying. On the other hand my heart broke a little bit watching the men’s US gymnastics team lose. I wanted to reach into the TV to give John Orozco a big hug and tell him to shake off what happened on the pommel horse. Half of this country couldn’t even get themselves up on the pommel horse much less maneuver around on it so he should hold his head high knowing he is one of the top athletes in the world. Yes, I have been watching other sports too but to be honest I’m starting to get tired of swimming, and beach volleyball just makes me feel bad about myself. (They’re so tall! And slim!) Very much looking forward to track and field and hope that NBC gives more coverage to some of the less popular sports. Again, getting tired of swimming. Yes Michael Phelps it’s amazing that you are the most decorated Olympian ever. Totally awesome. But I’m tired of watching your sport.

I can’t exactly draw a close connection between the Olympics and rhubarb crunch, but something tells me 95% of Olympians would totally enjoy this dish. (There are always a few who don’t like rhubarb. I don’t understand those people.) This dish is so easy to make and simple and delicious. My aunt made it last weekend with blueberries (amazing!) so that shows that it is also versatile. Go forth and bake! Gold medal to you for efforts.

Rhubarb Crunch

Crumb Topping:

  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 cup oatmeal
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup melted butter

Fruit Mixture:

  • 6 cups rhubarb, cleaned and chopped into 1/2″ pieces
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon tapioca flour or cornstarch
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together crumb topping ingredients until crumbly. Press half the mixture into a greased 9″ x 13″ pan. Cover with rhubarb.

In a small saucepan combine the remaining four ingredients (sugar, tapioca flour, water, and vanilla.) Cook over medium heat until thick and clear. Pour over the rhubarb.

Top with remaining crumbs. Bake for an hour. Serve warm.

clips version of a blog post

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Do you remember the special episodes of Golden Girls where Blanche and Dorothy and Rose would sit around the kitchen table and reminisce about the good old times while clips of old episodes would play?  They were the networks way of stalling I think, and they were always kind of a cheat because what you got was maybe 4 minutes of new material and 20 minutes of bits of episodes you’d already seen.  This post is my version of that.  It’s been so hot lately that I haven’t been doing much cooking or baking and the one thing I did make last weekend turned out just okay, not great, and I only share the really great stuff with you.  I wouldn’t lead you astray with something merely good.  So here are some suggestions for things from posts of the past that might be a good idea for you to try now that we are full-on in summer.

How about an olive oil basil cornmeal cake with balsamic strawberry sauce?  I promise it’s easier to make than the length of its name makes it seem.

It’s totally blueberry season now, so how about blueberry cobbler?  This version is quite possibly the best cobbler I’ve ever had in my entire life.  That good.

Remember when I made those blueberry and cherry hand pies?  I sure do.  The finished product wasn’t the most beautiful looking thing I’d ever laid eyes on, but man did they taste good.  And what’s not to love about a pie that you can hold in your hand?  Cute!

Iced tea is always refreshing in the summer, but Thai iced tea is even better.

Espresso chocolate chip ice cream might also be a good idea right now.  A really good idea.

I’ll be back soon with a proper new “episode,” I promise.

the best part about chocolate chip cookies

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I have a friend, let’s call her Cheri* (*not her real name), who has a serious cookie dough problem.  The kind of problem where she buys cookie dough from the freezer section in the grocery store just to munch on.  Raw.  I understand the appeal, I mean, who doesn’t like to lick the beaters clean while baking?  But they always warn you about that raw egg thing… and no one wants to risk salmonella.  So when I found a recipe on one of my favorite blogs for cookie dough that is made without eggs and is meant to be eaten raw I knew just who to make it for.

The original recipe went one step further than I have here and dipped the cookie dough balls in melted chocolate for a Buckeye effect but my cookie-dough-eating-friend is a bit of a purist and prefers them sans melted chocolate.  It’s very good that way but if you’re more into the salty-sweet thing than overly sweet stuff, this is the way forward.  Trust me on this.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls (adapted from recipe from www.joythebaker.com)

  • 1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about three minutes in the machine.  Beat in yogurt along with the vanilla extract and stir to combine.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Add all at once to the butter and sugar mixture and stir until incorporated.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Scoop large spoonfuls or ice cream scoops onto a  waxed paper lined cookie sheet.  Place in the freezer overnight or until frozen, at least three hours.  Serve cold from the freezer.

Black Sesame Ice Cream

Do your Sundays fly by as fast as mine do? I just don’t know where the day went… and it doesn’t help that I live next to a church whose bell rings on the hour, every hour, reminding you exactly how fast the day is going. Ding, ding… it’s two o’clock already? Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. What??? Five o’clock? No way. I swear only 5 minutes passed between the time the bell struck six times and when it struck seven. It felt like that shot in an old black-and-white movie where the hour hand just flies around the clock to illustrate the passing of time. (Why doesn’t time fly like that during the work day?) On the very bright side, today I made black sesame ice cream.

I first encountered black sesame ice cream years ago at a dessert restaurant in NYC called Kyotofu and then consumed it on a frequent basis several years after that when I lived mere blocks away from the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. It’s good stuff. It’s got a toasted, nutty flavor to it, not totally unlike peanut butter but I would even say better than. And I live on pb.

This ice cream is so good I daresay that if it were legal to marry ice cream in the state of Wisconsin I would march down to the county clerk and get myself a permit straight away. It’s that good. And I was afraid whatever I could make at home couldn’t live up to what I’ve had in the past, but you know what? It was even better. For reals. I can see this ice cream and I enjoying a lovely summer together…

Black Sesame Ice Cream (loosely adapted from “Black Sesame and Orange Ice Cream” found on www.seriouseats.com by Ethan Frisch and Max Falkowitz)

  • ¼ cup black sesame seeds
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 6 egg yolks
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup toasted sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Toast sesame seeds in small skillet, stirring frequently, until fragrant and nutty, then set aside to cool.

Transfer seeds to a blender and blend on high till seeds are crushed. (I don’t have a blender so used my coffee grinder to pulverize the seeds and then transferred them to a food processor for next step.) Add two to three tablespoons heavy cream and blend till smooth. Add remaining heavy cream and milk and blend on high till well combined, about two minutes. Seeds will not be completely pulverized, which is fine. Large chunks can always be strained out.

Combine egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat at medium-high speed until very thick and pale yellow, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk yolk and dairy mixtures in a heavy-bottomed three quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly while custard thickens. Custard is done when it coats the back of a spoon and a swiped finger leaves a clean line.

Remove from heat and pass mixture through a strainer into a medium mixing bowl set in an ice bath until chilled, stirring from time to time. Stir in sesame oil and salt till well combined. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a plastic container to store.